LOL;
I have noticed that the "regulars" who post here have mostly taken the season off.  This is one of the places I check every day, early morning, at break times during the day and at night.  I look for the old hands here, learning as I go.

Those of us who are retired do that I think; seldom much fig news, but we check all the same.  Today I am surrounded by snow N. and S. but have a clear and dry day, so I will roll out the log splitter and lay up some firewood--I have some logs cut into rounds and waiting for me. 

I'd much rather play with my figs, but watching fig cuttings sprout roots is like watching grass grow--it grows much faster if you are gone for a while.  So, I will forget the figs, forget the UPS guy who sent my cuttings astray, split some wood and work off a bit of winter craziness.  I NEED A GREENHOUSE, SANTA; REMEMBER THAT NEXT DECEMBER !~!!

Well, I gotta go feed the cows, give a heifer a wart shot and give my dog his rabies shot too, so I will quit grumping and go to work, albeit a bit late.   
Ox

Hi Ox ,
i do similar looking each day at the forum, i also enjoy the "old hands" no disrespect to any member.  ; )
Ox sounds like you have a nice operation there to keep you time occupied.

Im also retired " a young hand "  i think ?               ; )

Best Health

Here, we don't wish for Spring - it comes right after Fall.

Jon was that a little twist I sensed as you were sticking it in. lol A few months ago I was panicking thinking my figs would not go dormant and then the unusual cold snap for us. Now I'm panicking that they haven't woken up yet and leafed out at least. We had some colder weather the past 2 days got down to 38 for a few hours but should warm back up after this huge storm passes later on today. Seems like it is covering the whole state and then some.
Sal 

LOL, Sal, looks as if Global Warming missed us this year. 

No need for Jon to gloat.  He may have almost perpetual spring there, but when his figs slide into the Pacific the rest of us will get his warm weather. 

On a more serious note:  What do you think the mighty Missouri and the great Mississip are going to do this spring when all that snow cover in the midwest melts? 

Next thing we know the New Madrid fault will shake a bit, the spring floods on the Mississippi will cut thru the bank at the old Shreve's cut and the Atchafalaya will be the new Mississip.  Nyew Awlins will be sitting on a stagnant bayou and half of Lewsiyana will be unda watah. 

Dang, what I would not give to live down in Cajun country again (for just a little while.)  I've seen black crappie there with their noses in one side of big dishpan and their tails curling up over the other.  Catfish as big as a sixth-grader, trash fish like bass as big around as my thighs.  Deer everywhere, water not more than six feet down in much of the state, ground that will grow most anything. 

Oh yes, I forgot, the state has a tradition of honest politics, too. (That's a joke, son)

Ox

Spring....

We have 5" of snow on the ground right now.  They said we would get 1"-3".  There are still some flurries outside now. Yeesh.  Wife and I need to drive to the doctor tomorrow to have blood taken (might be expecting, keep your fingers crossed!)

Ox,

I know just about everyone east of me is having a bad week, and a record breaking winter. I still have trees that never went dormant, most just barely, and many, many breaking dormancy already. All that snow and cold is just not part of my experience, and doesn't relate to our winter this year.

Jon;
I grew up on the Gulf coast.  My mother had a Meyer lemon tree under the eaves of the house on the S. side and gave me an air layer after I married and was transferred to Corpus Christi.  When I left Corpus I had that tree eight feet high and six feet across, grapefruit trees, tangerines and peaches in the back yard.  I have no idea why I did not have a fig. 

When I was in elementary school there was a two-story fig tree growing on the N. side of an old hotel I passed every day.  I do not even remember the figs.  My dad showed me an old dam where promoters dammed up a prairie creek and sold land to easterners who were going to grow and dry figs.  The ranchers whose land hand been flooded by the backed-up creek dynamited the dam and when I saw it there was a twenty foot hole in it.  Strange, the thing that interested me most at the time was the fact that the rebar was twisted into long spirals rather than knobby like our rebar today. 

The land there was richly productive too; the land in my part of Oklahoma will hardly grow grass without fertilizer.  Small wonder they gave so much of it to the Indians. 
Ox

Hi Ox, I grew up here in Groves, Texas on the Gulf Coast close to Port Arthur my entire life. My dad always had a huge vegetable garden along with Figs, Apricots, Peaches, Grapefruit, Lemons, Meyer Lemons, Satsumas,Oranges, Pears & Pecans. He always had a huge Strawberry bed and rows of Blackberries and Boysenberries. Most of this was when I was a kid in the 50's & 60's, and I couldn't have cared less, then. always hated it when we had to help pick all this stuff. it's funny how you change, now that both of my parents are gone, I'm making up for lost time, I guess. In later years most of the citrus froze after thy got too big to protect. We get temps down in the teens once every 15-20 years here. All that's left after all these years are the pecan trees. The new owners cut down the fig and pear trees. Too bad. One the brighter side, I do have copies of those fig trees Celeste & Adriatic along with a lot more younger ones of different varieties. Some are starting to bud out(in ground), so spring is in the air around here! I can't wait.

Ox,  It is supposed to be 80F here, tomorrow. Does that qualify as Spring? We settled for 73F today.

Well Jon at 73 im wearing my short pants and sandals usually watering my fig plants then sitting at patio table or on the swing set and enjoying the momement listening to the birds or my dogs yapping at passer buyers.
Yes thats defintely sounds like spring least here by me.  ; )

LOL, you guys just LOVE to rub it in.  If I had 73 degree weather I would be planting tomatos.  We will not get settled weather here until the fifteenth of April.  Potato planting day here is St. Pat's day, (March l7?).  In Texas I planted potatos on Washington's birthday..  Corn (according to the locals) needs to be in the ground on April 14th if it is to avoid the worse of the bugs. 

Tim:  In Corpus we got those now-and-then freezes too.  I had a collection of the old round, black highway flared that burned kerosene and would stick three or four of them under each tree during the freezes.  Never lost a tree.  Neighbor had a grapefruit tree fifteen feet high and as large across. 

I saw my first spring flower yesterday, one of those litt;e purple star things that grow from a bulb about as big as a Rice Crispie.  The daffodils will be right behind them.
Ox

Ox,
could it be called crocus maybe ? , these are the first ones in my yard.
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&source=hp&q=crocus+flower+pic&rlz=1R2ADRA_enUS363&oq=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=TgZ4S5PlEsSFnAfns9nNCQ&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=1&ved=0CBAQsAQwAA

38f this morning and 42F  forecast for tonight. Low 60's for high today and then back to 70's the only good thing is the electric bill is about a third of summer bills and it's nice to work out side and not worry about heat stroke.